Calluna Events combines unique, creative and fresh ideas with amazing organizational skills and an exceptional attention to detail to create your perfect wedding or event. We’ve established an extensive network of venues and professional vendors to fit every style and budget. We offer innovative full service planning, wedding day coordination & hourly consulting.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Winter brings a slow down to weddings, but holiday parties are in full swing. Although many companies and organizations are finding ways to save money, successful holiday parties can still be achieved within budget. They key is to get creative! Here are some ideas:

1. Take advantage of rich, winter colors: deep cranberry red, midnight blue, accents of gold and silver, etc.2. If you are looking for party favors, get in the spirit with gingerbread cookies, homemade hot chocolate mixes, or chocolate-covered cranberries.3. Keep in mind that brunches and lunches are more affordable than dinners if you are on a budget. For the table settings, use pinecones as name card holders.4. Create ambiance and keep it simple by using candles. They are perfect for winter, plus they smell great.5. Use your own holiday specialty cocktails. Try white hot chocolate and Kahlua, with a candy cane garnish, or a pomegranate martini with pomegranate liquor, vodka and Grand Marnier with a sugar rim. Yum!

During the holidays, decorating becomes easier to do with more eco-friendly options than ever! At this time of year, pine wreaths and branch berries can be found almost everywhere and will gracefully adorn any wedding. Garlands can be hung about the room to complete the look! Then to enhance the bold evergreen décor, set out pinecones for additional festive undertones. You can get pinecones right off a tree without any pesticides or vendors alterations. And if you want a little more pizazz, paint your pinecones with silvers, golds, or reds! In addition, try some holly to spruce things up. It's is a lovely piece of flora which looks marvelous picked right off the plant and can be strewn down the center of a table or laid in a circle as the center piece. Candles can serve as terrific accents and elicit homely scents which will make your guests feel relaxed and enjoy themselves. The natural decorations will showcase the season and instill joyful feelings in all.

Friday, December 4, 2009

I just had lunch with Dana from Dana Romanoff Photography and wanted to share a little bit about her work and style. Dana is a true wedding photojournalist in that her background is doing photography journalism for entities such as the New York Times and Charlotte Observer. What she brings to wedding photography is an ability to truly capture the day through photographs that tell a story. I also wanted to share Dana's Frequently Asked Questions page from her website because I think it provides a lot of insight into how you go about choosing a wedding photographer. See below for this information. Dana is currently offering a special of a 5% discount on any package for anyone that books a wedding with her by the end of 2009.

Dana Romanoff Photography :: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - I loved how Dana expresses herself and her work through this FAQ section on her blog.

Why hire a professional photographer? Because your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and you should spend the day enjoying the moment knowing that a professional photographer is documenting the memories and capturing the moments. Afterward, the photographs allow you to re-live the day and the moments that flashed by: the flower girl sucking her thumb during the ceremony or dad doing his own rendition of “krumping.” You will have these photographs to cherish for a lifetime and beyond: for you, your children and grandchildren to see.

Why not have a friend do the photography? Friends may offer to photograph for you and as kind and tempting as that offer may be, I can’t tell you how many stories of disappointment and disaster I’ve heard come from those situations with no pictures to show. I promise, you will not regret hiring a professional and dedicated photographer with whom you have a legal contract.

How is Dana Romanoff Photography different from other wedding photographers? I have been working in the field of photography since 1999. I am a master of my craft; I know my equipment, how to make a great photograph, how to work quickly and inconspicuously and am continually expanding my skill set. I enjoy documenting a select number of weddings each year: they are fun events, people are happy and look beautiful and I really enjoy getting to know the wedding couple. That means I take the time to get to know you and those close to you and am available every step of the way; from helping you select the best coverage for your wedding to putting the final details on your album. Because of all of the reasons above, my photographs look different from other wedding photographers. The photographs you will receive have an intimate quality and capture candid moments. When you look at the images you will feel as though you are there re-living the moment.

What is a Personal Documentary? Think National Public Radio storytelling combined with beautiful images. Think MTV Real World minus the catfights. Here’s how it happens: I interview the bride and groom as well as other close family and friends to construct a personal narrative of the two of you – Your Story - through audio. Your Story is mixed with music of your choice and natural sound that I gather on the wedding day. The photographs are edited in a documentary manner and synchronized with the audio. The result is a 10 minute documentary about the two of you that will make you laugh and cry, that you have for a lifetime to share with friends and family.

What are you doing to be a “green” photographer? I am making a conscious effort to reduce my carbon footprint. I drive a hybrid vehicle that gets over 2x the gas mileage of a regular car. Whenever possible I take public transport or bike to any meetings. I offset any carbon emissions from airline or destination weddings by donating to companies that support wind/solar/geothermal power and plant trees. The hardrives I use are “Green” requiring half the amount of power to run. The lights in my office are compact florescent bulbs. I use re-chargeable batteries to power my flashes and cameras. I aim to be a paperless office sending contracts and forms via email. I use all recycled office material where available and recycle these materials when I am done.

Anything else I should know about you? I am committed to making this world a better place in my own small way. I do pro bono documentary work to support progressive causes and help pay for the education of school children in a village in Ghana, West Africa.

For information on booking Dana Romanoffand for the answers to the rest of the FAQ, go to her website.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I'm very excited to share Beth & Joe's wedding photographs from the super talented Lindsay Brindley of Lindsay B Photography. Although I've known Lindsay for some time now and we've tried to work together on several occasions, this was the first wedding we had together.

Beth was such a lovely bride to work with! She hired Calluna Events because we had coordinated her brother Mike's wedding a two years ago. Beth had incredible taste and wonderful ideas about what she wanted for her wedding day. She assembled a team of top-notch wedding vendors and the day ended up beautiful!

I LOVE Beth's fuchsia wedding shoes!Beth's chose a soft blue for the bridesmaids dresses and incorporated thiscolor throughout the wedding decor.

Little touches that made the wedding day special and really come together!

The wedding party having fun walking down the street in Cherry Creek.

Beth's bridal bouquet was a lush assortment of pinks, reds and yellows with some accents of stones. All of the flowers were designed by Nicole and Swank Stems.

More incredible details fill out the wedding decor. From a candy bar to custom bar napkins to a variety of centerpieces on the tables, this wedding had complete class and style!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Last weeks snowfall reminded me of Ashley & Matt's October 12, 2008 wedding at Boettcher Mansion atop Lookout Mountain in Golden Colorado. Because it was a rainy, turned snowy evening, Ashley & Matt made the best of it as we moved their ceremony indoors and created a warm and intimate setting in front of the fireplace. They were married in front of 50 of their closest friends and family and the weather outside created the perfect feeling of coziness inside.

The bride and groom venture outside in the rain and fog for some post ceremony photos.

Ashley surprised Matt with a bagpiper that piped her into the ceremony! It was magical!

Ashley worked with a friend to design all the flowers for her wedding.

Stationery was very important to Ashley as she works in the stationery department at

Working with Catering by Design we created a long table were all of her guests could sit and enjoy themselves. Ashley & Matt worked with Catering by Design to create a custom menu that featured figs and autumn favorites.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Last weekend we were in the glorious Colorado mountains for Megan & Jamil sustainable and green wedding. They chose the Westin because of it's green initiatives and made an effort to imprint green and sustainable pieces throughout their wedding weekend - from the handmade coat hanger chandeliers, to the organic and locally grown flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces, and the bio-dynamic wines chosen for their reception. They had a lovely fall day for their outdoor ceremony on a private ranch, and the Westin staff provided excellent food and service for their reception later that evening.